Highlights of upcoming alumni events. Access the full event calendar and register online, email [email protected] or call 510.643.6673
 
October 23
Henderson Center Trailblazers for Justice Gala
Join us for the presentation of the Thelton E. Henderson Social Justice Prize honoring Cruz Reynoso '58, special recognition of Dolores Huerta, and excerpts from Abby Ginzberg's Film "Cruz Reynoso: A Man For All Seasons." Tickets are $125 per person ($100 for '03-'08 alumni and those interested in public service). Named tables are $5,000 with special recognition.
6:00 pm Reception
7:00 pm Dinner and Program
Oakland Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Lake Merritt, Oakland
For more information, visit http://hcsj.wordpress.com/.
To RSVP, call 510.643.6673, email [email protected], or register online here.

October 25
California Women Lawyers Presents: "So, You Want To Be A Judge?"
Join the California Women Lawyers for a seminar on the judicial appointments and elections process for men and women. Afternoon workshops will be led by sitting judges. Lunch will be provided, and there will be a keynote speaker during lunch. $175 Pre-registration (by October 23), $150 Current CWL Members, $160 Co-sponsors, $100 New Membership, $75 Law Students.
8:15 am Registration and Continental Breakfast
9 am - 3:30 pm Program
Weintraub Genshlea Chediak, 400 Capitol Mall, 11th Floor, Sacramento.
For more information or to sign-up, visit www.cwl.org, email [email protected], or call 916.646.3114.

October 28
California Center for Environmental Law and Policy Fall Lecture Series: Senator Darrell Steinberg
Come hear 6th District State Senator Darrell Steinberg speak. Steinberg is the chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee. In addition, Steinberg is a Senate appointee to the Wildlife Conservation Board, the California Ocean Protection Council and the Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism (chair).
Lecture from 12:45 to 1:45 pm
Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall, Berkeley
For more information, contact CCELP at 510.642.6774

October 28
Torture: US Law & Policy - MCLE credit available
Please join the Boalt Hall National Lawyers Guild for a panel discussion with Boalt Professors and an ACLU attorney on the criminality and ethics of providing legal justification for torture. This event is open to all who wish to attend. Lunch will be provided, and MCLE credit is available. If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact Jessica Stender at [email protected].
12:30 to 1:45 pm
Booth Auditorium, Boalt Hall, Berkeley

October 29
Discover Cal Lecture: "Global Poverty: Challenges and Innovations in the New Millennium"
Come join all-Cal alumni in the San Francisco area for a lecture by Ananya Roy, associate dean of academic affairs, International and Area Studies and associate professor, and Tom Kalil, special advisor to the chancellor on science & technology. Professor Roy will speak about the Blum Center for Developing Economies' work and its relation to her ongoing research on issues of poverty and inequality. In his talk, Kalil and some students will highlight Big Ideas projects that address pressing challenges in developing countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Nepal, Nigeria, Guatemala, and Ecuador.
Reception 6 to 7 pm
Lecture 7 to 8:30 pm
San Francisco City Club
155 Sansome Street, San Francisco
For more information, please see http://discovercal.berkeley.edu/ or contact Catherine Brennan at 510.643.7556.

October 30
Discover Cal Lecture: "The Health Crisis in America"
Come join all-Cal alumni in the San Jose area for a lecture by Patricia Crawford, director of the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health; Robert Tjian, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and director of the Berkeley Stem Cell Center; and Steve Shortell, dean of the School of Public Health. Professor Crawford will discuss changing trends in obesity for children and adults. A world-renowned expert in the field of stem cell research, Professor Tjian will speak about the rapidly advancing biology of stem cells and its potential application to treat disease. Dean Shortell will discuss the cost, access, and quality challenges facing America's health system.
Reception 6 to 7 pm
Lecture 7 to 8:30 pm
Montgomery Theatre
271 South Market Street, San Jose
For more information, please see http://discovercal.berkeley.edu/ or contact Danielle Wiskersonat 510.642.4742.

November 4
California Center for Environmental Law and Policy Fall Lecture Series: "Environmental Law in the Ninth Circuit"
Come hear Judge William Fletcher speak. Judge Fletcher serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, having been nominated by President Clinton in 1998. A former Rhodes scholar, William Fletcher worked for the Office of Emergency Preparedness in the Executive Office of the President from 1970 to 1972. He clerked for Judge Stanley Weigel of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco and for Justice William J. Brennan Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court before joining the Boalt faculty in 1977. He has been a visiting professor at Stanford, Michigan and the University of Cologne, and he has taught at the Salzburg Seminar on American Legal Institutions.
Lecture from 12:45 to 1:45 pm
Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall
For more information, contact  CCELP at 510.642.6774

November 5
McBaine Moot Court Alumni and Student Social
Call out to all James Patterson McBaine Moot Court competitors!  The Competition will be holding its first annual Alumni/Student Social. Learn about what's been going on with the Competition in the last few years, socialize with former competitors, current students and Dean Edley, and be there for the release of this year's case.
Boalt Hall For more information, please contact the James Patterson McBaine Moot Court at [email protected].

November 9
Berkeley 2008 Charity Ball in Hong Kong
The Berkeley Club of Hong Kong presents the Berkeley 2008 Charity Ball. Join Hong Kong-based Berkeley alums for a night of dinner and dancing. The evening will include a keynote speech from UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau, "Making a Difference: Berkeley in the Global Community", and a performance by award-winning a capella student singing group, the California Golden Overtones.  For more information, check out the website here or email [email protected].
6:30 pm
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong

November 14
Conference on the Supreme Court of California
Join us for Boalt's first-ever conference on the California Supreme Court. This conference will provide a unique forum for judges, government officials, scholars, and practitioners to discuss the work of the courts and to learn more about legal issues affecting the judicial system in California and other states.
9 am to 9:30 pm
Clark Kerr Conference Center, UC Berkeley For more information, and to register, visit this site or contact Dana Gandhi at 510.643.6732 or [email protected].

November 14
Berkeley Center for Criminal Justice Lecture Series: "Learning to Walk the 'Toughest Beat': Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the California Correctional Officer Survey"
Come hear Amy Lerman, an assistant professor of politics and public affairs at Princeton, speak. The lecture will be followed by a roundtable discussion, and lunch will be served.
Roundtable from 12:30 to 2 pm
Lunch served at 12:15 pm
Dean's Seminar Room, Boalt Hall, Berkeley
For more information, contact the BCCJ at 510.643.7025

November 17
After the Vote: A Post-Election Analysis with Boalt's Dean Chris Edley in San Francisco
Join Christopher Edley, dean and senior adviser to Barack Obama, for a post-election analysis. Panelists include David Kirp, Boalt visiting professor and public policy expert; Guy Saperstein '69, founder of the National Security/Foreign Policy New Ideas Fund and co-chair of the Democracy Alliance's Strategy Group; and Dan Schnur, director of USC's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics and director of communications, McCain 2000.  Special thanks to Kathi Pugh '90 and Morrison & Foerster for hosting. Because of popular interest, this event will no longer be held at Morrison & Foerster and a new location will be announced soon!
6 to 8 pm
Location TBA, San Francisco
To RSVP, register online here, call 510.643.6673 or email [email protected].

November 18
California Center for Environmental Law and Policy Fall Lecture Series: "Codification and Environment: the Italian Experience"
Come hear Fabrizio Fracchia, UC Berkeley visiting scholar, speak about the recent environmental code formed in Italy and address the problems that it raises with respect to the role of regional laws, the harmonization at the European level, the relation with the market, and the definition of the concept of environment.
Lecture from 12:45 to 1:45 pm
Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall, Berkeley
For more information, contact CCELP at 510.643.8167

November 21
After the Vote: A Post-Election Analysis with Boalt's Dean Chris Edley in Los Angeles
Join Christopher Edley, dean and senior advisor to Barack Obama, for a post-election analysis. Panelists will include Maria Echaveste '80, a former senior adviser to the Hillary Clinton Campaign; Alisa Nave '04, political director, Nevada Senate Democrats; and Pete Wilson '62, former governor of California, U.S. Senator, mayor of San Diego and California State Assemblyman. Thanks to Bob Willett '74, Partner & Vice Chair, O'Melveny & Myers, and his firm for hosting.
12 to 1:30 pm
O'Melveny & Myers, 400 South Hope Street, Floor 26, Los Angeles
Lunch will be provided.
This event has reached capacity. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please contact the Alumni Center at [email protected] or call 510.643.6673


 




October 2008
Main News


Election 2008:  After the Vote
voteJoin Dean Edley and campaign experts for post-election analyses in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Jim Brosnahan and Kathi Pugh '90 host the San Francisco alumni event from 6-8 pm, Monday, November 17. Please note the new speaker line-up of David Kirp, visiting professor at Boalt and public policy expert; Guy Saperstein '69, founder of the National Security/Foreign Policy New Ideas Fund and co-chair of the Democracy Alliance's Strategy Group; and Dan Schnur, director of USC's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics and director of communications, McCain 2000. Because of popular interest, the reception will no longer be held at Morrison & Foerster, and the new location will be announced soon! To RSVP, register online here, email [email protected], or call 510.643.6673.

Robert Willett '74 hosts a similar session in Los Angeles over lunch from noon to 1:30 pm, Friday, November 21, at at O'Melveny & Myers, 400 South Hope Street. Dean Edley will present with Maria Echaveste '80, a former senior advisor to the Hillary Clinton Campaign; Alisa Nave '04, political director, Nevada Senate Democrats; and Pete Wilson '62, former governor of California, U.S. Senator, mayor of San Diego and California State Assemblyman. This event has reached capacity. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please contact the Alumni Center at [email protected] or call 510.643.6673.


Meet Dean Christopher Edley at Upcoming Alumni Events
Nearing the midpoint of the Campaign for Boalt Hall, Dean Edley has been leading tremendous progress at your alma mater. He's reshaped the student financial aid program, expanded the faculty by 25%, built a robust portfolio of multi-disciplinary think tanks and launched capital improvements, including renovations and a new building. Thanks to these efforts, Boalt has risen from #13 to #6 in the law school rankings.

Dean Edley is eager to share all of the latest developments with you and your local alumni community. Events will be held on October 21 in Washington D.C., December 3 in New York, February 3 in San Francisco and February 21 in Los Angeles. Check out all the details and RSVP here.



Conference on the Supreme Court of California
supreme court conferenceBoalt Hall is hosting the first Conference on the Supreme Court of California at the Clark-Kerr Conference Center on Friday, November 14, 9 am to 6:15 pm. Four plenary sessions will discuss: Review of the Supreme Court's 2007-08 Term; The Death Penalty; Arbitration and Private Judging; and Access to Justice in Family Court. The appellate panelists will include scholars, practitioners, and judges. Each of the plenary sessions will be moderated by a justice of the court: Kathryn Werdegar, Carol Corrigan, Ming Chin, and Marvin Baxter.

Chief Justice Ronald George will give an address over dinner. During lunch, a panel of state supreme court judges from other states will discuss the impact of judicial elections on judicial independence. Speakers will also include Boalt alums Pete Wilson, former governor of California; Holly Fujie, president, State Bar of California and shareholder, Buchalter Nemer; and Jeffrey Bleich, immediate past-president of the State Bar of California and partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson.

For more information visit the conference web site. For registration, go here. You may also contact Dana Gandhi at [email protected] or 510.643.6732.


State Bar Swearing-in
Boalt Hall is delighted to offer the annual State Bar swearing-in ceremony to its graduates who have passed the Bar Exam at 3 pm on Friday, December 5, in the law school's Booth Auditorium. Justice Kathryn Werdegar '62 of the California Supreme Court; Judge Thelton Henderson '62 of the United States District Court, Northern District; and Judge William Fletcher of the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, will preside. Nan Joesten '97, president of the Boalt Hall Alumni Association, and Professor Bob Berring '74 will officiate the swearing-in. Immediately following the ceremony, a reception for alumni and friends will celebrate the happy occasion. RSVP now here.


Alumni Reunion 2008
More than 400 graduates and friends returned to Boalt Hall for Alumni Weekend 2008. Alumni and faculty led fascinating discussions ranging from the U.S. Presidential Election to the economic crisis, and you are invited to view the recorded sessions here. The weekend was a wonderful occasion for alumni, faculty and friends to renew relationships with each other and with the law school. Reunion celebrations were also held for those classes ending in 3 and 8. Check out photos of all the weekend fun here.

Please also save the date now for the All-Alumni Reunion 2009! With more activities in Berkeley and San Francisco than ever before, events will be held for all-alumni from Thursday, October 8 through Sunday, October 11, 2009. Reunions will be celebrated for those classes ending in 4 and 9.  This is the All-Alumni Reunion you won't want to miss!


South Addition Project Gets Under Way with Groundbreaking Ceremony
groundbreakingDignitaries turned the first ceremonial spades of dirt at a groundbreaking for the new South Addition building, the centerpiece of a series of ongoing improvements to Berkeley Law's physical complex. Sporting yellow "Cal" helmets and wielding gold shovels wrapped in ribbon, a group of former deans, and two groups of staff, alumni and students took turns plunging the spades into the ground of the courtyard where the new three-level building will sit. Read the full story and see the pictures.


Panel on Financial Crisis Draws Overflow Crowd
Before a packed house at Booth Auditorium, five UC Berkeley economic experts offered many contrasting opinions on the world's current financial crisis. But they agreed on an ominous forecast-that the markets are in dire straits and that government-proposed solutions seem insufficient to fix them. Berkeley Law professor Aaron Edlin minced few words in his opening remarks about U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's initial bailout proposal. Read the full story and watch the webcast of the event.


Pascal Lamy, director-general of the World Trade Organization
lamyCome hear Pascal Lamy, director-general of the World Trade Organization speak on "The Case for Trade: Why the Multilateral Trading System is More Important Than Ever for the U.S." Mr. Lamy has served as the director-general of the WTO since 2005. Previously the trade commissioner of the European Union in Brussels, Mr. Lamy has also served as chief of cabinet to the president of the European Commission, a political advisor to the economics and finance minister and the Prime Minister of France, and as president of Notre Europe, a think tank working on European integration. The event is Wednesday October 29th, at 4:00 pm in Booth Auditorium at Boalt Hall. Please RSVP by October 28.

 
Boalt Alumni Group on LinkedIn
LinkedIn logo
Alumni are increasingly turning to online networking options, and you are invited to join the Boalt Hall Alumni Group within Linked In, the leading professional network tool online. Now you can leverage the power of Boalt alumni to find new contacts-both Boalt alumni and their contacts, too. Join today!


Learn What it Takes to Become a Judge
If you are looking to apply for a judicial appointment or learn more about the election process, you may be interested in the Saturday, October 25, seminar "So You Want to be a Judge" in Sacramento. Sponsored by the California Women Lawyers, speakers include Sharon Majors-Lewis, the governor's judicial appointments secretary and Leslie Harden, chair, Judicial Nomination and Evaluation Commission, among others. Check out more information and register here.


 
2008 Cal Football Tickets - Available Now!
Go to www.CalBears.com/groupwindow to purchase discounted single game tickets of $34 in stadium areas reserved for alumni. The ID is "BOALT" and password is "BOALT."  Please note: Tickets for the October 25 UCLA and November 22 Stanford games are not available through the Boalt ticket window. Go Bears!




Have you moved to a new city or job? Do you have a baby on the way? Did you get a promotion? Keep your fellow alums up-to-date with your important life changes by submitting a Class Note. We'll publish your news on the web and/or the alumni magazine, Transcript. And if you don't have anything new to report, just browse our Class Notes page.

Richard M. Bryan '63 reports: Nancy and I live in San Francisco, and I am still actively practicing law. Nancy was ordained to the Episcopal clergy in 2005 at age 67 and is busy with her growing ministry in a San Francisco parish and as a hospital chaplain. We were blessed with two new grandchildren this year, making a total of four, with three of them still in diapers. Our Russian Hill condo is now one large playroom and diaper changing center. We are blessed to have all three children and all four grandchildren live so close. Somehow between a 60-hour week devoted to law practice and changing diapers, I manage to squeeze in a round of golf. I hope my law school friends and classmates will stay in touch with an email, now and then.

James Larson '66 reports that he has been a member of the Board of Directors of Save The Redwoods League in San Francisco since 2002. The League has permanently protected 180,000 acres of Redwoods in public parks and celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2008. He chaired a task force on conservation easements and now chairs the "Master Plan for Conservation of The Redwoods" task force for the League.

A. Lou Benassi '68 was selected as a Leading Lawyer and a Super Lawyer by his peers for 2008. He has been selected a Leading Lawyer each year that the Leading Lawyers Network has been asking Illinois lawyers who are the best lawyers in the state. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer for the years 2005-2008. He has been lecturing and writing for the Illinois Institute Of Continuing Legal Education, the Illinois State Bar association, and various other legal and acedemics asociations since 1976.

Patricia C. Benassi '69 was voted by her peers as a Leading Lawyer, a Super Lawyer, and one of the top ten Leading Women Consumer Lawyers in the State of Illinois in 2008. She has been selected as a Leading Lawyer every year since the Leading Lawyers Network began asking lawyers who the best lawyers were in the State of Illinois. She has been selected as a Super Lawyer for the years 2005-2008. She was recognized by the America Legal Media as one of the top ten most influential women lawyers in Illinois in September, 2000. She received the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Award for a life's work devoted to equality and justice for women (Sept. 2007 Illinois Conference of the National Organization for Women). She was inducted into the National College of Employment Lawyers in 2000 at the American Bar Association national meeting in August, 2000.

Lori D. Kepner '03 writes: "I am currently working for the nonprofit ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International as a part time attorney and part time campus minister. My husband and I have been working with students at UCSB, but have recently been reassigned to work at a different university. We and our 14-month-old son are moving to Flagstaff, AZ, to work with students at Northern Arizona University."

Scott M. Bennett '03 has returned to Lewis and Roca's Phoenix office as an associate in the Torts and Criminal Litigation practice groups. Mr. Bennett's practice focuses on litigation, in both civil and criminal matters.

Bennett has represented corporate clients in civil cases involving claims for personal injury, product liability, and insurance bad faith. He has also defended clients in civil forfeiture cases brought by the government. On the criminal side, Bennett has represented both individuals and corporations in connection with government investigations, administrative proceedings, and criminal prosecutions. Bennett received his J.D. from the U.C. Berkeley School of Law, and his B.A. from Arizona State University.

Demetrius and Shanda Chapin-Rienzo '03 and '04 are pleased to announce their recent marriage.

David Carlyon '76 recently published an essay on Huckleberry Finn, "Twain's 'Stretcher'," South Atlantic Review 72.4 (Fall 2007): 1-36. He also performed in the benefit performance celebrating the 40th anniversary of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Clown College.

Gail Ivens '84 reports: "In January of 2006 I returned to the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Los Angeles to administer the CJA Appellate Panel (a panel of 40 attorneys who take appointments to represent indigents on appeals to the Ninth Circuit) and became a member of the Appellate Unit of that Office."

Robyn Todd '03 reports: After four years practicing health and life sciences law at Davis Wright Tremaine in San Francisco, I have moved in-house to Kaiser Permanente in Oakland as part of KP's Health & Regulatory Practice Group.